As if itwasn’t bad enough that I’m the only one home all night while both my roommates are at the wedding I kinda wish I was at, he had to go and apologize with perfect words to make my heart sing.
Max:Then let me make it perfectly clear. You’re mine, Daphne Brenner. I was an ass for trying to keep us in the friends with benefits zone. We were never going to be just friends. We were more after that first night. I’m going to prove it to you.
You’re mine.
Yes, he was an asshole. But he owned up to it and apologized for it. But it was the “you’re mine” that sealed the deal for me. I wanted to yell back that I don’t belong to anyone, but I couldn’t. That would have been a lie. As much as I may not want to admit it, I am his. I think I’ve known it for a while now. But still, he doesn’t deserve to hear it.
Not yet. Max Kingston needs to figure his shit out before I give him my heart.
Well... before I tell him it’s his.
I seriously stood no chance.
Once I’ve showered, I throw on a pair of shorts and a tank top to go in search of coffee. When I get to the kitchen, Dixon is standing there, his muscular back facing me, showcasing the tiny pale scars I asked him about once years ago. He never answered and just changed the subject. His t-shirt is draped around his neck, and he’s making his protein shake.
“Jeez, Dix. What time did you wake up this morning?” I move around him to grab a mug, but he doesn’t look up.
“About two hours ago.” His answer is flat. It doesn’t hold any of the warmth I’m used to. And when he turns around, the look on his face is not his normal expression. “Needed to get my workout in early.” He leans back against the counter and watches me drop a pod in the coffee maker.
“How was the wedding?” Apparently, I’m a glutton for punishment.
He drinks half his shake, then wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. His eyes rake over me in a way that makes me uncomfortable. It’s not sexual. But I can’t quite place my finger on what it is. “It was nice. Maddie drank too much.” He smirks. “So did Carys. Was she really dating—”
I slap a hand over his mouth. “We don’t say his name. Not ever.” He licks my hand, and I pull back and squeal.
Dixon cracks a smile before Maddie joins us in the kitchen and drops dramatically into a chair. “I’m never drinking that much again.”
“I told you to slow down. But no one ever listens to me.” He rinses the blender and his cup with tense shoulders before he turns back to me. “He really cares about you, D.”
“What are you talking about, Dix?”
“Nothing.” He pats Maddie on the back of her head and walks out of the room.
“What the heck is his problem? Did something die in his protein powder?” She fills the tea kettle and switches on the stove, then hops her butt up onto the counter. “What time do we have to leave?” She yawns and closes her eyes like that simple action hurts.
“We need to leave in about an hour. You think you’re going to make it?”
The kettle starts to whistle, and she groans. “I make no promises.”
* * *
Luckily for all of us, Maddie survived getting dressed, and Carys and Chloe were already waiting for us by the time we joined them at our favorite little place across the street from Hart & Soul, where Mads teaches ballet. The Busy Bee opened about a year ago. It’s country chic with lemon-yellow booths and pecan-wood tables spread throughout. Shiplap covers the walls, and they have the best eggs benedict I’ve ever had. But it’s only open for breakfast and lunch, so you need to get here early.
Not something that happens often on the weekends in my world.
“Okay, can somebody please tell me about the wedding now?” I nail Maddie to her seat with a glare. “How did everything go with Watkins? Are we still on cherry watch?”
“Oh, come on.” She stirs the ice cubes around in her Diet Coke. “Nothing was ever going to happen with Watty. He was a perfect gentleman. His hands didn’t even wander when he danced with me. Not even an inch.”
Chloe snickers as she leans back in the corner of the sunshine-yellow booth. “And those are some big damn hands.” She holds hers up in front of her face. “Could you imagine what he could do with those hands?”
“Ugh. What the heck ever. Go ahead and rub it in my face, why don’t you?”
Chloe’s smirk grows. “Might as well rub something for ya, Mads. You don’t know what you’ve been missing.”
“Just because I haven’t had sex doesn’t mean there hasn’t been a little rubbing.” Maddie’s eye twitches, and we all laugh.
“Your own hand doesn’t count, Madison.” Chloe sticks her tongue out at Mads.